To make a coffee table book from your own photos, choose one story, pick your strongest 60 to 120 photos, go for a large hardcover or layflat format on thick photo paper, and give every spread room to breathe. The rest of this guide walks you through each step, from the first idea to the finished book on your table.
Shop coffee table photo books
- Layflat photo books: pages open completely flat, so photos can run across both pages.
- Hardcover photo books: a sturdy cover that stands up to being picked up again and again.
- All photo book styles: compare sizes, bindings and premium covers.
Jump to: Choose your story · Decide who it's for · Pick your photos · Choose a size · Choose binding and paper · Design the pages · Add words · Check and order · Ideas · Mistakes to avoid · FAQs
How to make a coffee table book in 8 steps
Step 1: Choose your story first
Most guides start with page layouts. Start with the story instead. A coffee table book works when every page belongs to one idea, so a stranger can flick through and understand it in a minute.
Good coffee table book stories include:
- One big trip: a road trip, a honeymoon, a month backpacking
- A year in your life, told season by season
- Your home: the renovation, the garden, the view from the balcony
- Your wedding, styled more like a magazine than an album
- A hobby you photograph: food, surfing, street photography, your dog
- Your family's story, from grandparents' photos to today
If you can't sum up your book in one sentence (“our year in Japan”, “ten years of Sunday lunches”), narrow it down. Travel is the classic choice: browse travel photo books and gifts for ideas.
 One big trip |
 Your wedding |
Step 2: Decide who it's for
A book for your own living room can be moody and personal. A book for guests needs to make sense without you explaining it. A gift should be about the person receiving it, not just the photos you like best.
Ask yourself three questions: who will pick this up, what should they feel when they close it, and where will it live? The answers shape everything that follows, from the cover photo to how much text you add. A gift for parents or grandparents usually works best as a hardcover photo book that can handle years of being passed around.
Step 3: Pick your photos (fewer than you think)
The biggest difference between a coffee table book and an album is editing. You're choosing the best, not everything.
- How many: plan on one to three photos per page. For a 40-page book that's roughly 60 to 120 photos.
- Mix your shots: wide views to set the scene, close-up details (a menu, a hand, a doorway) and a few photos of people.
- Cut the near-duplicates: if you have five photos of the same sunset, keep one.
- Use the original files: photos saved from messaging apps or social media are usually compressed and can print blurry at large sizes. Use the originals from your phone or camera.
- Choose the cover early: pick the one photo that says the most about your story. It's the picture people will see every day.
Need a starting point? Our list of 20 photo book ideas includes which photos to use for each type of book.
Step 4: Choose the size and shape
Coffee table books are big for a reason: large photos look impressive on a table and invite people to pick them up.
- Landscape: best for travel, scenery and wide shots. It suits a long coffee table.
- Square: the most flexible. Works for a mix of portrait and landscape photos and looks modern.
- Portrait: feels like a magazine. Great for people, fashion and architecture.
As a rule, go for the largest size in the range you're choosing from, and pick the shape that matches most of your photos. Compare the available sizes for each style on our photo books page.
Step 5: Choose the binding and paper
This is where coffee table books are won or lost, and it's the part most guides skip. The binding decides whether your photos can stretch across two pages. The paper decides how rich the colours look and how the pages feel in your hands.
- Softcover: light and great value, printed on Fine Coated Paper 150gsm, 24 to 300 pages. Better for everyday albums than for display.
- Standard hardcover: a durable cover on the same Fine Coated Paper 150gsm, with the biggest page count. A solid choice for books with lots of photos.
- Layflat: opens completely flat (180°), so a photo can run across both pages with nothing lost in the spine. Printed on Felix Schoeller E-Photo Lustre 190gsm, 8 to 140 pages. The classic coffee table choice.
- Flush mount: thick, rigid board-mounted pages that also open flat, printed on Felix Schoeller E-Photo Matte 190gsm. The most premium feel, ideal for weddings and once-in-a-lifetime trips.
- Debossed and deluxe covers: textured covers with a pressed title, for a book that looks like it belongs in a design shop.
Lustre paper has a soft sheen that makes colours pop; matte paper has no glare, which suits black-and-white and moody photos. For most coffee table books, a layflat photo book is the best balance of look, feel and value.
 Layflat |
 Flush mount |
Step 6: Design the pages
Good coffee table books look calm. Here's how to get there:
- Give one photo the whole spread every few pages. Big, simple pages are what make people stop.
- Leave white space. A single photo with a wide border often looks more expensive than a page packed with six.
- Pair photos that talk to each other: a wide street scene next to a close-up of a coffee cup from the same café.
- Keep the layout consistent: stick to two or three page layouts and one or two fonts.
- Mind the middle: on a non-layflat book, keep faces and important details away from the centre fold.
- Plan the order like a film: start with an establishing shot, build to your best photos in the middle and end on a quiet, reflective image.
You can design your book page by page in our online editor, starting from a photo book design you like.
Step 7: Add a few words
A coffee table book needs less text than you'd think, but a few words make it feel finished:
- A title on the cover and spine. Need inspiration? Try our 100+ photo album title ideas.
- An opening page with one or two sentences: where, when and why.
- Short captions where a place or a name adds something. Skip captions that only describe what's in the photo.
- A closing page with a date, a quote or a short note if it's a gift.
Keep text small and in the same place on each page so it doesn't compete with your photos.
Step 8: Check everything and order
- Read every caption out loud to catch spelling mistakes.
- Look at each photo at full size to check it's sharp enough.
- Check nothing important is near the page edges, where it could be trimmed.
- Ask someone else to flick through it on screen. Fresh eyes spot what you've stopped seeing.
- If it's a gift, leave plenty of time for printing and delivery before the date.
Once you're happy, it's time to create your coffee table photo book.
Coffee table book ideas to get you started
- The trip of a lifetime: one destination, told from arrival to the last sunset.
- A year at home: the same window, garden or street photographed every month.
- Our wedding, magazine style: fewer posed group shots, more details and candid moments.
- The family table: photos of family meals and recipes in handwritten notes.
- Four paws: your pet's best (and silliest) moments.
- The renovation: before, during and after, room by room.
- Grandparents' story: scanned old photos alongside new ones of the same places.
Whichever story you pick, layflat pages let your best photos stretch across the full spread.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Too many photos: a crowded book looks like an album, not a coffee table book.
- No clear story: random “best of” photos are hard for guests to follow.
- Low-resolution files: screenshots and messaging-app photos often print soft at large sizes.
- Too small a format: a small book gets lost on a big table.
- Busy backgrounds and fonts: let the photos do the talking.
- Leaving it too late: rushing the edit is the fastest way to a book you're not proud of.
Not sure which style to choose? Our guide on how to choose the right photo book compares the options side by side.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to make a coffee table book?
It depends on the size, the number of pages and the binding. Softcover and standard hardcover books cost the least, while layflat and flush mount books cost more because of the thicker photo paper and flat-opening pages. You can see current prices for each style on our photo books page.
What is the ideal size for a coffee table book?
Large enough to make an impression on a table: go for the largest size in the range you choose. Landscape suits travel and scenery, square suits a mix of photos, and portrait suits people and architecture.
What type of paper is best for coffee table books?
Thick photo paper looks and feels the most premium. Lustre paper gives colours a soft sheen, while matte paper has no glare and suits black-and-white photos. Layflat or flush mount pages also let photos run across both pages without a fold in the middle.
What makes a book a coffee table book?
A large format, a strong visual theme and big photos with little text. It's designed to be left out on display and browsed casually, rather than read from cover to cover.
Can I make a coffee table book with my own photos?
Yes. Choose a photo book style, upload your photos and design the pages in an online editor. Pick a large size and a layflat or hardcover binding for the classic coffee table look.
Ready to make yours?
Pick your story, choose your best photos and give them the space they deserve. Start with a layflat photo book for edge-to-edge spreads, or browse all photo book styles to find the one that fits your story.
New to photo books? Follow our step-by-step guide to creating a photobook.
